The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1887-11-02
TEMPERANCE READING.
ARROGANCE OF THE SALOON.

Tho lnnuenco Welded BY the Rum Power
In Our Larger CltIss-An Almost Uni.
versst Disregard at Law.
The graves. problem IN municipal
government is to secure honest and
economical administration. Our great
and rapidly growing cities are obliged
to spend very large sums for public i'm
provements of various kinds; and
wherever public money is to be spent
there we may be sure we will find men
anxious to have hand in the business.
FOR somehow there has grown up a
:alse code of honesty in the public
mind; the thief who steals outright
from private citizen is condemned
and punished, while he who steals from
the treasury through cunning con-
tracts, sharp practice in bidding, and
other schemes unfortunately far too
familiar, suffers no loss of social or
business standing.
The opportunities of many municipal
office-holders to obtain profit out of
office-ho]d;ng has led dishonest and
disreputable men to seek such positions
with eagerness; and the saloon has
been the most potent influence by
which they could compass their wishes
The result has been that there is not
one Of the larger cities of the land but
has become the victim of an organized
scheme of plumber The erection of
public buildings, the paving of streets,
and every other municipal improve
mcnt has been made to cost far more
than it would had it been done for u
private individual; and our total munic-
ipal debt is many millions greater than
it would otherwise be, on account of
these wholesale stealings.
It has become common for men who
are VIGOROUSLY corrupt to seek and
obtain Office in our great cities. They
do not appeal to the honest respect
able classes for their support; they
know that this would be unavailing.
But they turn to the saloons, and
through their means control the ig-
norant and degraded, and the distinc-
lively vicious classes of the community
GLASSES whose numerical strength
would not be so great were it not for
the saloons themselves. Rum is the
parent of poverty. ignorance, vice and
degradation; and where the saloon
flourishes most, there we find the
greatest number of these dangerous
| classes.
The Rum Power has not been slow
to recognize the power it thus Yields
in politics. The men who are rivals
for tho saloon support have courted
and coddled the Rum Power to obtain
place. until it has become fully cog
infant that it can control municipal
politics. And it has not been slow to
make the most of this advantage. NJ
man, as a rule. who is known to be ar
active opponent Of the Rum Power
can obtain municipal Office of any
kind. If he can. not be defeated FOL
nomination in the caucuses, he is over
thrown at the polls. Hence men who
in their hearts resent the tyranny arr
nevertheless compelled, by their owr
political ambition. to keep. silent, ant
even if they do not do the bidding o
the Rum Power will not actively op
pose it, knowing that the knell of thei
aspirations will be struck by the frs
show of opposition on their own part
This has gone on until the danger
of this growing supremacy Of the Run
Power has become clearly apparent
The saloonists and their allies have S
centralized their power. and are s
conscious of their strength, that i
. many of our cities they bid defiance t
all law. wherever it may interfere wit
, their schemes of profit and plumber
They are willing that all laws shall b
! strictly enforced except those whic
! concern themselves. They regar
themselves as a privileged class
: above and beyond all law. There
not liquor law upon the statute book
of any State or any city that they wi
; not disregard. They feel secure l
. their law-breaking, because they kno'
8 the power they WELD in politics. Til
official who does enforce the la
t against them will be driven from pow
( or at the next election. They fe'
h themselves stronger than the sent
ment in favor of law or order, an
Q hence ignore whatever laws they ma
. choose with impunity. They eve
$ have abrogated the Fourth COMMAND
i ment, because Sunday is one of Il
Q best days in the whole week where
: to sell Rum.
i So universal is this disregard of la
I by the Rum Power, so fully is it re
: ognized. that it is even made an arg
9 ment against the enactment of 1
y strictive laws. The most oft-reiterat,
" plea against restrictive laws is: 20
you can't enforce the law!' Thin,
have come to sad pass, indeed.
this land, when a class of the COZ
IS munity has become so defiant that eli
u gems give its lawlessness as reast
9 Tor the Announcement of legislation!
% The Rum Power is one of the tv
s. parties responsible for this state
n things. Tho other is the people thel
81 selves. They have been playing Il
70 role of towards in this struggle, al
!, have allowed the internal tyranny
a %bo Rur, poxvar full swing II ia fir